AI Professional Headshots Offer Self-Esteem and Comic Relief

• I was intrigued by TikTok, which has an AI service that promises studio-quality headshots for $17.
• Some of my results were self-esteem-boosting, while others were comically terrible.
• Overall, I got two usable photos that I consider a win.

Among all the tedious administrative tasks (and there are many) associated with job hunting, taking a headshot should be at the top of the list.

Professional headshots can be expensive and are not what many hardworking and non-celebrities are motivated to spend a lot of time and money on.

But the photo has to look good. After all, LinkedIn is where many prospective recruiters, customers, and employers first look to you. It may sound ostentatious, but your photos are important.

So when I saw this TikTok about an AI service that promises low-cost, studio-quality headshots, I was intrigued. Some of the pics were terrible — extra hands! sausage fingers! dead eyes! — but there were also many winners. It was worth a visit.

Because at the end of the day, I’m just a working mom in her 40s who’s somewhat pretentious and wants to look half-heartedly decent on LinkedIn.

Dear readers, I got my wish. Some of the photos gave a jolt of ambitious self-esteem, like, “Wow, do I kinda look like that? Cool!” Others were comically awful or just hilarious.

Professional headshots from the comfort of your own home

I used Try it on.ai, which is easy to use. Create an online account, pay $17 and upload at least 10 photos of yourself of her. After just 72 hours, you can hit 100 headshots.

Selecting photos to upload was a seemingly time-consuming task. Again, it takes hours to dress up and walk in and out of the studio.

The site recommends uploading a chest-up close-up. You cannot wear hats or sunglasses. Submitting blurry, pixelated photos, or photos taken at an awkward angle will affect your results.

The photos have been carefully selected. In my opinion, the perfect headshot conveys a serious person who doesn’t take themselves too seriously. However, I was able to pass the airport test.

There were other considerations as well. Age discrimination in the workplace is a big issue, and any middle-aged worker, or frankly he’s over 35, needs to be careful. I wasn’t looking for headshots to make myself look younger, but I didn’t want to age prematurely.

Research suggests that women also face special challenges. Ideally, I wanted the headshot to convey some personal warmth. My feminist hates giving in, but my realist is down to earth.

This meant that there weren’t many great options available for upload.

But my friend, it didn’t matter at all.

Charm, Professionalism, Michelle Obama’s Weapon

My results have been amusing, terrifying, and downright silly.H is Wearing clothes that I don’t own and making expressions that I don’t make.

Without further ado, here are some of the greatest hits, along with a little commentary.

This cracked me up the most. The all-black turtleneck was first popularized by the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. This look was later adopted by Elizabeth Holmes, the disgraced founder of her Theranos, a blood-testing company, and according to the New York Times, became a symbol of fraud: not a wise choice for a headshot.

The attractive quotient of this also amused me. If ABC were considering rebooting the TV show Cougar Town, I think it would be a good headshot, but it lacks a certain professionalism. Also, get a lot of Michelle Obama arms.

I appreciate cheekbone sculpting and digging into funky earrings, but this photo doesn’t look like me.

Same as above. I also question the subtle visitor expression on my face. But I like that coat.

This one takes the cake. This is what I will look like decades after my hands have grown.

The above two actually sound a lot like me. My husband, who looks at my face more than I do, agrees.

OK. Maybe they look like me on my best days.

All in all, I got two usable photos (ones that look a lot like mine) and it was worth paying $17. And for those who didn’t make the cut, well, comic relief was a gift.